Fallout 4? New Zelda? Scattershot speculation about E3 2014

With every E3, there are certain things to expect. The first is the inevitable “Who has won E3?” debate. Will Sony come out on top or Microsoft? The second is surprises and disappointments after hands-on time and demos on the show floor. I guarantee there’ll be one game that comes out of left field to impress players. The third thing is predictions. Everyone has one, and it’s a fun tradition to guess what will be announced and see how close the speculation is to the truth.

I have my own thoughts on the matter. Some are outlandish; others can conceivably happen. Here’s my wild guesses for E3 2014:

SONY: Hot on the heels of GDC, expect to see more Project Morpheus news. I doubt we’ll have a specific release date but something ambiguous like fall of 2015. To make up for that, we’ll probably see a few game demos for the virtual reality headset with the most impressive being a Gran Turismo 7. Sony and the folks behind the Souls series will reveal Project Beast, which will be an exclusive. One of the most impressive games will likely beThe Order: 1886, which will look tons better than what we saw last year. Also expect to see a sneak preview of Uncharted 4, which may make fans’ heads explode.

On the PlayStation Vita front, Sony will continue pushing the handheld. There’s already a rumored bundle leaked. But I figure we’ll see more of a focus of indie titles here or integration with Sony Online Entertainment. Maybe we can even see the upcoming DayZ clone H1Z1 playable on the system via Remote Play.

And lastly, we’ll probably see something on The Last Guardian. I refuse to believe that the long-anticipated titles is dead.

Expect to see more on Halo 5: Guardians at Microsoft’s presser.

MICROSOFT: The Redmond, Washington-based company has to come out swinging if it intends to build moment for the fall. I expect to see more Master Chief with details about Halo 5: Guardians. With the purchase of the Gears of War franchise from Epic Games, Microsoft should have a teaser to the next installment of the series. They’ll also show off Kevin Spacey and the new Call of Duty: Advanced Warfare with exclusives for the Xbox One. Remedy’s Quantum Break will look good, but I have doubts about it. I view Quantum Break and The Order: 1886 as being in the same boat — the two games that were shown last year, looked good but didn’t leave much of an imprint. This is the year where both have to blow gamers’ minds.

I expect more app integration for the Xbox One and a renewed push to make it the center of the living room. What Microsoft really needs to do is bolster that Skype integration. The announcements out of left field could possibly be a new Battletoads or an indie title such as No Man’s Sky going exclusive to Xbox One. Trying to one-up Sony on Project Morpheus, Microsoft may announce their own VR device or a partnership with Facebook and Oculus. They have to do something here because that technology is a game-changer and will define the upcoming generation of titles.

For even wilder speculation, Microsoft may even offer a price cut on the Xbox One as it tries to catch up with Sony.

NINTENDO: Normally one of the best at keeping secrets. Fans may have had a sneak peek at what’s time come at E3 with this purported picture of Mario Maker. Moving beyond that, expect more revelations with new Super Smash Bros. characters and a gameplay trailer for Pokemon Omega Ruby and Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.

The bigger news will be whether a new Super Mario Bros. or new Zelda is announced. Both of these are the cornerstones of Nintendo consoles, and the Japanese company should reveal one of them. If Nintendo keeps quiet, that would be a huge disappointment and a blow to the Wii U’s prospects.

When it comes to pie-in-the-sky predictions, there’s always hope that legendary game designer Shigeru Miyamoto could show off an original game. It’s been a long time since he offered a new IP. The bigger news could be Nintendo’s foray into app development. That could be a boost to the company and signal a sea-change for the industry.

OTHER BIG NAMES: On the third party side, I’m hoping to see two games from DICE — Star Wars Battlefront, which will likely come out next year perhaps in conjunction with the new movie, and Mirrors Edge 2. Those two will be front-runners for game of the show. Activision and Bungie’s baby, Destiny, will continue to wow audiences. Meanwhile, everyone’s waiting to see if Bethesda will come out with a new Fallout. That’s another huge megaton announcement.

My high hopes is for Capcom. The company needs another hit and perhaps it will have one in a new Street Fighter. Speaking of fighting games, perhaps we’ll finally get a playable version of Bandai Namco’s Tekken x Street Fighter. We’ll see how everything unfolds on Monday, when the big companies hold their pressers.